Augh
by the-uno-and-only
Summary: What if Le Creuset came back? On the night celebrating Lacus' promotion, there's an assassination attempt to be stopped! However, Le Creuset is too busy dancing and his old team is too distracted watching him dance instead of working on their mission... Post Gundam Seed Destiny and OC
1. Augh

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from _Gundam Seed_ or _Gundam Seed Destiny_. However, Clara is my own character.**

I re-watched Gundam Seed in french, for my school exams, and I couldn't help writing a little fic. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Augh…Yzak felt vomit crawl up his throat. It was one of the grossest sights he had ever seen. A dance party to celebrate Lacus Clyne's successful campaign to be the next chairman of the PLANT Supreme Council or not, the commander had said they had a job to do. Yet while the remainder of the Creuset team were on the hunt for the supposed threat, their revived leader was off dancing the waltz with their fellow teammate. The whole affair was highly inappropriate!

Yzak was so focused on the couple dancing a few feet away; he hadn't noticed his friends gather around him. "They look like they're going to kiss!" Dearka laughed as he elbowed his best friend in the ribs. They were at the edge of the dance floor, originally trying to spot Lacus, and conveniently standing next to the punch bowl. The scent of strawberries from the glass Dearka was sipping on only infuriated him more. "Clara looks ready to pounce on the commander any second now!"

"Shut up idiot!" Yzak snapped. The scene was making him nauseous enough without people voicing their opinions on it. To any stranger, Clara might've looked nonchalant about the situation. She was confidently following Rau Le Creuset's lead in the dance without any mistakes; looking mature for her age because of her long, graceful one-shoulder dress that matched her striking violet hair and she managed to keep her lips placed in a soft smile. Most of the time. Occasionally her face would give into a giddy giggle or large smile and show off her true youthfulness.

The Creuset team had spent enough time together to know each other pretty well. Therefore, Yzak couldn't argue with Dearka that Clara looked like a love sick puppy because her blue eyes were sparkling and her not making any mistakes in the dance only showed her devotion to not making any mistakes. His aching feet were proof enough to remember how many times she had stepped on his toes during their dances tonight. Less than an hour before, Yzak was wishfully thinking Clara might find another fool, a nice and polite one, to dance with before the next dance so he wouldn't be forced to do it with his fellow singleton again. Really, he wished Athrun and Dearka weren't obligated to dance with their girlfriends and then they could share his burden of preventing Clara from being harassed by idiots with one track minds.

Now he had to wonder again what was going on in his commander's mind. After his two year absence, Le Creuset looked just as composed as ever. It was if he believed he had never been gone- never been dead. The other people watching them with surprised faces and passing glances at the dancing pair showed Yzak he wasn't overreacting. Everyone thought he was dead! He couldn't just literally be waltzing his way across the dance floor now! The bastard should explain himself! Not only that but wasn't it the commander's own order to 'keep a low profile'! What was going on his mind to start dancing! Le Creuset might appear to be his team's bedrock but experience had taught Yzak that their much loved commander was most likely the mad hatter in their small group.

"I can't say I'd be surprised if she did," Arthrun said. He smiled at Yzak's and Cagalli's shocked expressions. Well, Yzak actually looked more outraged than shocked. He'd seen their commander and Clara together before the first war had ended. Even though she had a sharp mind that sometimes made them clash, the girl strongly admired the other and it was clear that they enjoyed each other's company. Something Yzak couldn't help but be jealous about. The group had also seen the aftermath of the war and how torn up Clara became when they 'lost' their commander. "Just twenty minutes ago, we all jumped on the commander for a hug when we saw him for the first time in two years. Imagine being in Clara's position. A ghost of a man you greatly admired, appearing out of nowhere and asking for a dance in a very public place. She's holding herself pretty well in my opinion."

"I didn't throw myself at the commander, asshole!" Yzak growled, turning away from Athrun's smirk. In his opinion he was holding himself pretty well by not pushing his way through the dance floor, grabbing the commander by the collar and dragging him back to his grave.

"Oh come on Yzak," Athrun sighed, "Don't lie and pretend you're not glad to see him again. To know he's alive. I don't know where he's been and I doubt he'll ever tell us but loosen up a little. He's back. I'm sure he and Clara can look after each other. Let's just be happy and find Lacus before the assassination attempt happens."

"Yeah, let's just be happy and stop the assassination of our Madam chair," Dearka said with his usual charm.

The silver haired boy couldn't help shooting daggers with Athrun at their blond companion's unnecessary sarcasm. After taking a deep breath and loosening his shoulders, Yzak contemplated. He was happy to see his commander again. Actually, he felt more than happy to see him.

"How ironic of The Athrun Zala to tell someone else to loosen up," Yzak couldn't help muttering. But if the perfect example of a military toy soldier was telling him to relax, maybe he should lighten up. Who knows where Le Creuset will be tomorrow. Right now, they had the slippery bastard within their sight and they should make the most of it. Once he comes back home after this exhausting party, he can mope all he likes about this unbelievable situation then. Also it was very unlikely Le Creuset and Clara would get hurt when they were in a room full of military personnel. Instead, he should be worried about finding Lacus Clyne right now.

He was just about to leave the dance hall and resume his search when the final notes of the music finished. Immediately his eyes went back to his commander and Clara. Tonight's piano player had the style of increasing the speed of the dance to the point any military soldier would be breathless and sweaty by the end of the dance. Yzak had spotted people about to pass out numerous times in the night. Like him, most of the dancers looked for the nearest water supply before swearing that was their last dance of the night.

Le Creuset and Clara were both trying to catch their breath. Still in the middle of the dance floor; still holding each other close. Near enough to pounce. Instead of searching for a nearby water supply, they were looking into each other's eyes. Well, Yzak presumed that was what his commander was doing through his mask. Once it seemed like the commander had evened his breathing, he pulled his characteristic smirk and Clara returned the gesture before blushing and turning to look at the ground shyly.

Yzak wasn't aware that he was holding his breath during this. He was more interested in how nobody on the dancefloor was watching the revived commander and the girl with violet hair. He couldn't stop his stupid smile. Maybe it was only him, Athrun, Dearka and Cagalli that were witnessing their commander cupping Clara's chin and raising it. Maybe nobody else would know that Le Creuset showed his more human side tonight and couldn't resist asking the girl who he had missed during their two year separation to a dance. And then slowly lower his lips to meet hers. Maybe nobody would ever know that when Clara had gotten over her initial shock, and wrapped her arms around Rau's neck to deepen their first kiss, Yzak was still wearing his stupid smile. He tried to ignore his cheeks burning. He was sure that he'd never need a photo to remember this sight.

Then the flash of camera brought him back to reality.

"Miri!" Dearka's voice accused.

Sure enough, Yzak turned to glare at Dearka's – photographer - girlfriend as his eyes tried to recover from the traumatic flash. "What the hell!"

Miriallia stuck her tongue out at him and pulled a face. "Sorry guys but your faces were priceless! I don't know who Clara's dancing with but they're going onto the front page for the Zaft newsletter right above your picture. The flash was an accident though. I didn't mean to leave it on automatic but oh well; right now your faces are pretty priceless too!"

In the background, Yzak could hear Cagalli laugh as she gave into the humour of the situation. Meanwhile, he was utterly horrified. The Zaft newsletter! What an idiot he must look like. Augh...what came over him?

"Miri, you can't send those pictures to the newsletter," Dearka said after taking a deep breath. Once again, the blond sounded too laid back to show the apple of his eye the severity of the situation. No way was he stopping Miriallia sending the pictures that way.

"Obviously!" Yzak snapped with the best warning tone he could muster, "You can't show them to anyone! In fact, delete them right now!"

"I think Clara and…" Athrun began, stopping himself from saying Le Creuset's name, "um…her dance partner would really appreciate it if you did delete those. He's the type of guy who hates public attention."

"Really?" Miriallia sounded surprised. Her eyebrows were raised as she looked in the general direction of her potential victims. When she turned back to Athrun, her playful tone had returned. "You could've fooled me with him wearing that mask. He really stands out with that blond hair of his too. If you ask me, Clara's got nothing to be embarrassed about. Sure, he's noticeably older than her but he's also pretty good looking. I bet she's feeling pretty proud of herself for nabbing a hottie!"

"BABE!" Dearka practically screamed and gave her a serious look. "Don't ever describe him like that again. Ever."

Yzak couldn't agree more. And judging by the look on Athrun's uneasy face, he did too. The man was their commander, a man that demanded respect! Him and the word hottie…no, just no…they did not go together and they should never be put together in their presence.

The photographer pouted. "Why? Who is he?"

 _Only Rau Le Creuset, our former commander who has been accused of helping Genesis happen and who we thought was dead until 20 minutes ago,_ Yzak thought. Instead of voicing his thought; however, he merely scowled.

"We don't really have time to explain right now," Cagalli said. "Have you seen Lacus anywhere? Or Kira? We need to find them. It's urgent, Miriallia."

The brunette shook her head. "I was outside before and I didn't see them. Isn't Lacus going to sing here later tonight?"

"Didn't you hear her?" Yzak responded. "It's urgent. We can't wait."

Dearka wrapped a protective arm around Mariallia and glared at his friend for using such a tone towards her but Yzak could care less at the moment. He was really losing his patience with these people. The girl looked like she felt safe, instantly leaning into her boyfriend's side as she clicked on her camera.

"What are you doing?" Yzak asked.

"You said it was urgent," she simply replied without looking up.

"And?"

"And I thought Lacus and Kira would come running here if I sent them these photos."

 _She wouldn't._

The group gathered around the camera to confirm their suspicions. The photographer was clicking through dozens of pictures. According to the camera, she had taken over a hundred tonight. Surely, she couldn't be talking about their picture and the one with the kiss. Surely. But after a picture with Lunamaria sitting on Shinn's shoulders, the photographer stopped at the picture with the kiss. It looked like something from a movie with the lighting and the camera angle. Mariallia was a pretty decent photographer. Yet, Yzak struggled to process that in the photo wasn't two actors but his commander and one of his best friends. And in the background, he could just make out his face. Apparently, only the people in their group had witnessed the scene.

"What a weird couple they make," Dearka muttered. The rest felt too uncomfortable to add their opinions.

The girl clicked a box on the camera to make a tick appear before she clicked onto the next one. In this one, the focus was the four of them and their stupid reactions.

Dearka looked like he was choking on his punch, his hand dropping the probably expensive glass. Cagalli was comforting her boyfriend by holding his hand and placing her other hand on his shoulder while also dealing with her own dumbfounded expression that was maybe not suitable for a president to have. Athrun's emerald eyes were wide open in shock and his more than slightly agape mouth hanging dumbly in midair. This was a man who had taken part in many battles and yet he looked utterly traumatised by the scene in front of him. And of course, Yzak thought his face was the worst out of the lot. He knew he would be wearing his stupid smile, looking as if he wholeheartedly believed that the couple belonged together. He knew it! And even worse were his stupider eyes. They were even crinkled! He looked so sheepish, the only one not looking surprised. How horribly he stood out.

Mariallia selected the tick box again before clicking on her contacts list.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" The group shouted in unison. Dearka stole the camera.

"Isn't there a cancel button or something?"

"Nope, you're too late!" Mariallia smirked before pecking her boyfriend on the cheek and taking her camera back. She then ran for her life.

"Mariallia!" Dearka called before chasing after her. He needed to delete those pictures before she found a cause to send them again to more people.

Augh…Kira Yamato and the next Madam chair were going to see the pictures though. Great! They wouldn't tell anyone if Athrun asked them not to but they'd know. Yzak was trying to bury his grumbling face with his hand when Cagali spoke.

"Kira wasn't answering your calls earlier; do you think he'll see it in time before the song starts?"

Right on cue, Athrun felt his phone vibrate. Pulling it out of his pocket, he held it in his hand to read Kira's name on his phone.

"I guess it's time to face the music," Athrun sighed.

Jeez it felt tense. But then Yzak couldn't hold in his laughter at remembering his friend's words. The other two looked at him with puzzled eyes. He didn't care anymore about being embarrassed. Him bursting into laughter wouldn't be the most shocking or talked about memory of tonight. He already knew his commander won that honour. His commander who was back from Hell and was the cause of the chaos that happened in the last ten minutes. "Let's just be happy and find Lacus before the assassination attempt happens," Yzak said in a mocking tone. He meant every word though.

* * *

I planned for this just to be a one-shot but tell me what you think- reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading.


	2. First Impressions

Clara ran across the Zaft air base without heeding her two friends' complaints. She didn't care if she nearly tripped over a person or two; she needed to be there before Rau got off his vessel. She didn't even wait for Yzak to come out of the toilet. The excitement had been building up within her for so long! It seemed cruel to prolong the wait.

It felt like she only had her former commander back for a second before he was sent away on a mission again. Rau didn't even say anything about it! It was a nervous Yzak and Dearka who turned up at her doorstep, after a busy day at their work helping their new Madam chair settle in, to inform her of the news. The two boys relayed that he apologised for missing dinner. Having been a Zaft pilot, Clara could understand not having the time to say goodbye to everyone. Of course she was happy that he thought enough about her to bully Yzak and Dearka to arrive at her doorstep to tell her. Yet the way the two were avoiding making eye contact told Clara that there was something they weren't telling her.

"I'm so sorry…Pardon!...She's just excited, sorry," Kira's voice seemed to say throughout their mad run. It was a shame that Athrun was working in Orb. Luckily they had Kira to compensate for his absence. "Can't you slow down Clara? We left Yzak at the toilet."

The girl didn't let on she heard anything as she dived past more guards. She easily escaped any attempts to catch her. If the beauty shop ever burnt down, Clara would always be welcome to return to the military. However, she was only abusing her skills at the moment.

"She's with us," Dearka shouted from across the hall while raising his ID badge. The guards gladly gave up their impossible chase and waited patiently to inspect the IDs of their well-known superiors. "Trust me…Yzak's got it lucky…compared to us," Dearka panted.

Soon enough, Clara made it outside to the landing bay and mechanics were within sight. The vessel had already landed and didn't look to be in bad shape. She overheard some mechanics say there was a problem with the thruster. Nothing to worry her. She was a bit disappointed that she hadn't made it in time to see it land but at least she could look for Rue now.

Kira and Dearka still hadn't caught-up with her yet but she took the initiative to look around the outside of the ship. It was unusual for the commander to be one of the first to walk out the ship so she didn't expect to find him until the boys allowed her access inside. It was all meant to be a surprise. The night Rau left was supposed to be the night the Le Creuset team caught up with what they had been doing over the last two years over dinner. To make up for it and to try and reveal the mystery of Rau Le Creuset, Yzak went ahead and booked a table at a restaurant as soon as he heard the ship was finally returning. They planned to corner the man as soon as possible before he made for another escape.

Surprisingly, Clara spotted a mop of blond hair. He was facing away from her, probably enjoying the feeling of the wind on his face. He had yet to notice her.

Since Clara had left the military after the first war, she was no longer obligated to follow the military rules of saluting and respecting the higher ups. These were one of the moments when she truly treasured her freedom. Now was her chance!

Without wondering why he was wearing a red uniform, she began to expertly sneak up on him. His hair was straighter and longer. Maybe he got a new shampoo. As for the length, it was rare to find a good hairdresser within the ship staff. During her voyages, many of the crew had asked for her to cut their hair. There was a painful memory of Dearka complaining about the bad job she had done to his hair once. Yet they always came back… Really, it was a wonder how they managed to look presentable without her help. However, her commander had never asked her to cut his hair. She was always curious about who he did trust to do the job correctly.

Rising on her tiptoes, a growing smile on her face, she covered his eyes with her hands. "Guess who?" she said in a whisper, her lips faintly touching his ear.

Oh yes, she did enjoy the liberty of not treating her commander with the highest of respect! A foreign scent brushed past her nostrils. It smelt a bit chemical. Clara felt a bit frustrated that she didn't have Rau's old shampoo to compare the smell to in her memory. Was it the same old hair product or not?

The man seemed to sigh, before placing his hands over hers and trying to remove them. He was an idiot if he thought she'd give up that easily. Clara took her games very seriously. "Hey! It's not that hard to recognise my voice, is it?"

The way he hunched his shoulders told her otherwise. Clara couldn't help pulling away at that reaction. It hadn't really been that _long_ , had it? Had the sound of her voice changed? Did Rau really not care enough to just guess her name? Really, Commander Le Creuset didn't have much of a social butterfly reputation. How many people did he need to cancel out to hear only her voice?

Before she had a chance to recover herself, the stranger turned to face her. Next, she was unbalanced by the concerned blue eyes. She couldn't help thinking they were beautiful but her jaw dropped in shock. _Where's his mask?_ As far as she knew, Rau never showed his eyes to anyone. Yzak and Clara both remembered clearly that night when he lost his mask, somehow after a meeting with Kira and Mwu. The commander didn't willingly allow them the most minuscule of glances of what he'd been hiding since the day they met him.

"Rau…" was all she managed to say. Apparently it was the light blue eyes' turn to blink in surprise.

"Rau?" a stranger's voice echoed.

"Clara?" Rau's voice called from a completely different direction.

The girl swiftly turned her head to see, near the entrance of the ship, Rau with a mask. Her head just as quickly turned back to the man in front of her with no mask. Still confused, her eyes double-checked the Rau at the entrance, hurriedly signing something before walking to meet her. He was walking in that way that Rau walked after long voyages, his legs slightly wobbling from not being adjusted to land yet and his arms trying to thrust him forward as if there was still no gravity. The team liked to blame it on his age as they never seemed to suffer the effects of returning to land as bad as their leader did. Her eyes then quickly studied the person in front of her again. He actually looked like a baby compared to Rau, in Clara's eyes anyway, as his facial features had yet to sharpen. His shoulders weren't as big. Then the red uniform hit her and with mild horror, Clara's brain finally managed to make sense of all this information.

"You're not…Commander Le Creuset?" she wanted to laugh, but she just sounded shaky and nervous.

Something about what she said made the stranger smile anyway. It appeared to be a genuine one. However, the blue eyes definitely looked longingly at his commander to save him from this whole awkward mix-up.

God, Clara wanted to bury herself in a hole. She wanted to also beg for his forgiveness and beg him not to say anything about this to anyone. Especially to _him_. She must already look like such a child in his eyes, and her behaviour did nothing for her defence. At the same time; however, she wanted to cry in relief. Rau had not forgotten about her; immediately when he saw her, from a few feet away, he had called her name out. He was not avoiding her; he was walking straight – well as straight as Rau Le Creuset could after a landing – towards her.

* * *

Rey didn't know how to react to this strange girl. After a moment of silence, she was still biting her lip as she contemplated a response. She didn't know how to react to Rey's presence either.

"She mistook me for you," he answered, almost shyly, for her. It wasn't her fault. The two were clones after all. If it weren't for the mask or age difference, they'd look like twins. Oddly, nobody had ever mixed them up before. Light blond locks fell to cover Rey's half-lidded eyes as a thought occurred to him. "I must be growing up."

"Or Clara just sees me as a teenage boy," Rau remarked.

* * *

His warm tone was teasing and Clara couldn't help taking it the wrong way. "I do not!" she grumbled. Her eyes scowled at Rau's smirk. "I haven't seen you in a while, ok? I was super excited to see you and I…" _I harassed a random guy without thinking about it,_ "…I don't look before I leap, do I?" She sighed, wondering when she was going to magically become mature and stop doing these stupid things. Immediately ridding her face of any negativity with a deep breath, she turned to the stranger and with all her military training she bowed. "I'm very sorry for harassing you."

"It's no problem," he simply replied. He sounded like Rau on a bad day.

"I'm Clara Whittick. I was a pilot in the Le Creuset team in the Bloody Valentine War. I piloted the-,"

"-the Leviathan," the boy finished with a distant expression. "Your former team members are more well-known, considering they didn't leave the military, but your name still came up in our cadet lessons for retrieving your mobile suit and battling tenaciously in the war. Rey Za Burrel, pleased to meet you. Unit…."

Clara only half-listened to Rey's military details. She was always surprised when strangers remembered her involvement in the war. It was understandable why Athrun used a second identity sometimes.

Hearing his full name was when she started switching off. Clara didn't know Rau's real surname. Le Creuset was certainly made up by him. How were they related? If she had to guess…by the happiness in Rey's eyes when he saw the commander…they could be father and son. Better leave a good impression either way.

When Rey finished drilling numbers, she decided to open her mouth again. "Me and the rest were going to force the commander to have dinner with us now."

"The rest?" Rau interrupted, tilting his head.

"The rest when they catch up," Clara clarified. "I left Dearka and Kira Yamato to take care of getting us through security and, last time I checked, Yzak was at the toilet. Athrun's busy in Orb but he'll visit when he can. We thought Kira wouldn't be bad company. He's a pretty good substitute for Athrun for keeping the peace."

"I see." The girl counted her lucky stars that the man didn't try to make another escape. Although, any attempts would've been pointless now that he's within her sight.

"You should come with us Rey," she said this with one of her most welcoming smiles. Something told her he wouldn't be affected by such an expression though.

"I wouldn't wish to intrude-,"

"Commander Le Creuset!" Yzak and Dearka shouted simultaneously. The two along with Kira walked towards them with heaving chests and red cheeks. How many security guards did they have to get through? They greeted the group with mock salutes.

"Boys," Rau smiled as he and Rey returned the gesture. "Do you mind if Rey joins us?"

"Sure," Yzak replied after checking over the stranger. "We already have Kira with us and it's your funeral commander." Rey was dressed as an elite like they had been and Rau was the one who asked for him to join, that surely meant the kid had a decent brain.

* * *

"I never thought I'd ever see you again, Rey," Kira said with a small grin. He raked his hand through his hair as waited for the youngest to respond.

"Nor did I." Rey shrugged after a moment. He felt lost on what to add. For some reason, the group had insisted he join them for the night. But he didn't feel like he deserved their efforts.

Before Rey realised what was happening, their group had split up into three sections after the meal. Dearka, after a ton of whining, successfully convinced Yzak to go drinking with him at a bar. Nobody else fancied it; the rest wanted to go home. Clara was the only one who didn't have a bed in the direction of the military base so she decided to go home by herself. Somewhere in the conversation, her group then included Rau. Rey struggled to backtrack it to make sense of the idea. That left Kira and him. So that's how he ended up in Kira's car by himself.

"So that was the first time you met them?" Kira tried again.

He was very kind and gentle. Rey could've blamed it on that vulnerable state Rey was in when they first met face to face but the more Kira talked to him; the more Rey understood that was how the pilot of the Freedom acted. It was in his nature to protect those who needed protection.

"Yes," the blond answered with his favourite word of the night.

 _The three were big characters, especially Yzak. There was never a dull moment. "This is us at our best behaviour," Clara said once Rau escaped to the toilets. "Dearka would be on his fourth beer by now and Yzak would've shouted at the table next to us to behave while out in public. Not that we're much better than them."_

"What were your first impressions?"

 _Yzak had clearly heard her comments. "What are you bragging about? When the commander isn't around, you knock over the table next to us 'by accident'. Too busy daydreaming about his pretty eyes to watch where you're walking?" The girl snarled fiercely at the observation. She didn't have time to think up of a reply because the object of her affections had returned within earshot. Rey did notice Yzak's reaction when Clara had kicked him under the table. Mostly because she had mistakenly kicked him first._

"They're strange…" That made Kira chuckle.

Rey recognised his building. He'd finally reunite with his teammates. When the vessel had finally landed back home, the pilot was filled with apprehension to unite with everyone. There had been an insecurity that disturbed his stomach.

"…but I like them. They're a good fit together."

During the ride home, Rey had noticed that his nervousness returning home was much quieter. He could bury the insecurity in a deep place within himself now. Seeing the Le Creuset team act like such a dysfunctional family reminded Rey of his own and he was reminded of the unconditional love they had shared. He was ready to face the consequences of his actions. He wasn't proud of himself but Rau had shown him that he couldn't hide away forever. He needed to confront them.

"I think so too," Kira replied in relief.

The vehicle stopped and Rey turned to wish his driver goodnight after jumping out. However, to his surprise, Kira was getting out of the car as well.

"I'll get your bag from the back," the Freedom pilot answered the silent question hanging in the air. Rey would've insisted on getting it himself but this was the teenager who was responsible for stopping two wars. He would be as stubborn as hell.

The two silently walked to the entrance. Rey stopped so he could get his bag back. There was no way he'd let the others see him be lazy like this when he'd been gone for so long. He offered his hand for the bag.

Yet Kira didn't give him the bag. He just grabbed the other's hand and shook it gently.

"I'm glad to have seen you again. I hope we can eat out again in this time of peace."

That knocked the air out of him. Before he recovered himself, Kira swapped his hand with a bag and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. Rey tried to fight off the tears that were threatening to fall. Why was he feeling so vulnerable? He was about to return to the place he had called home- still called home. It was the end of a long day but somehow he knew he wouldn't fall asleep for quite a few hours. He wouldn't be able to believe where he was sleeping. And a hero from the war seemed to keep telling Rey that he was forgiven, that there was a light at the end of the tunnel for whoever asked for redemption and that he could make it if he just kept walking.

"Will they be angry at me?" his voice shakenly let out.

Kira shook his head. "They understand. As soon as Le Creuset got back, he spoke to me and Lacus about you and explained everything, Rey. Then we explained it to those closest to you while Rau went out off to find you. Shinn and Lunamaria are going to look after you. You were just as manipulated as you were manipulative and were brainwashed to follow orders without questions because of it. That night you proved yourself, proved that you're willing for humanity to make their own choices and decide their own future. You wanted to live your own life. Now live it."

Soon enough, Rey's vision became clouded by tears. Wiping his face, he felt how light his legs had become. "Th-thanks, Commander Yamato! Goodnight, sir!"

Kira watched the other walk hurriedly into the building, a fond smile across his face. "Goodnight Rey."


End file.
